Closed source on open source —

Valve opens Steam for Ubuntu to first wave of beta testers

Small subset of 60K applicants can now play two dozen available games.

After receiving over 60,000 beta applications since last week, Valve has begun sending out the first wave of invites for the Steam for Linux beta today.

The Linux version of Steam currently only works on Ubuntu 12.04, reflecting what Steam for Linux team member Frank Crockett said in a statement was "an overwhelming majority of beta applicants [reporting] they’re running the Ubuntu distro of Linux." Other popular Linux distributions will be supported in the future, Valve said. The service will be opened to more beta testers going forward, then expanded to all Linux users "once the team has seen a solid level of stability and performance across a variety of systems."

The service currently features 24 Linux games, a list dominated by indie titles that were already available via other means, as well as larger releases like Team Fortress 2 and Serious Sam 3. Valve has promised that internally developed titles like Portal and Left 4 Dead 2 will be available for Linux soon. Only one paid Steam Linux title, World of Goo, currently has a free demo available on the platform.

Kyle Orland
Kyle is the Senior Gaming Editor at Ars Technica, specializing in video game hardware and software. He has journalism and computer science degrees from University of Maryland. He is based in the Washington, DC area. Emailkyle.orland@arstechnica.com//Twitter@KyleOrl

39 Reader Comments

I did not get in the beta. Me! Not in! I am so glad that valve are doing this. We will know if linux is viable if valve are really going to give it support and it works out. I am watching with hopeful interest.

I wish they'd just release the binaries so I could install it myself on Arch. I don't foresee them ever releasing a native Arch Linux version of the platform, so unless they release binaries that aren't targeted for a particular distro, they're never going to get on more obscure Linux variants (not that Arch is obscure.)

It would make sense to release binaries sooner than later so non-natively supported distros could do testing earlier.

I wish they'd just release the binaries so I could install it myself on Arch. I don't foresee them ever releasing a native Arch Linux version of the platform, so unless they release binaries that aren't targeted for a particular distro, they're never going to get on more obscure Linux variants (not that Arch is obscure.)

It would make sense to release binaries sooner than later so non-natively supported distros could do testing earlier.

I actually think it makes a lot of sense to start with a small(ish) limited beta. It gives them a larger group of mixed hardware with enthusiasts who have used linux for a while and are very capable of helping to troubleshoot issues and provide extra insight into problems that might come up.

I have the feeling that once they start releasing Steam to the rest of the public, those distros they don't directly support will be supported by some members of the community repackaging for their distro of choice.

I wish they'd just release the binaries so I could install it myself on Arch. I don't foresee them ever releasing a native Arch Linux version of the platform, so unless they release binaries that aren't targeted for a particular distro, they're never going to get on more obscure Linux variants (not that Arch is obscure.)

It would make sense to release binaries sooner than later so non-natively supported distros could do testing earlier.

Extracting binaries from a package is a piece of cakes; the least of your worries if you are going to try and install compiled software on a distribution that it wasn't intended for.

I wish they'd just release the binaries so I could install it myself on Arch. I don't foresee them ever releasing a native Arch Linux version of the platform, so unless they release binaries that aren't targeted for a particular distro, they're never going to get on more obscure Linux variants (not that Arch is obscure.)

It would make sense to release binaries sooner than later so non-natively supported distros could do testing earlier.

Valve simply wants to reduce the overall number of variables in their beta testing. Releasing the binaries now opens the floodgates for additional support and they (likely) aren't prepared for that. By keeping it on just Ubuntu 12.04, they have an extremely solid base of consistent users, reporting, etc.

I wish they'd just release the binaries so I could install it myself on Arch. I don't foresee them ever releasing a native Arch Linux version of the platform, so unless they release binaries that aren't targeted for a particular distro, they're never going to get on more obscure Linux variants (not that Arch is obscure.)

It would make sense to release binaries sooner than later so non-natively supported distros could do testing earlier.

Extracting binaries from a package is a piece of cakes; the least of your worries if you are going to try and install compiled software on a distribution that it wasn't intended for.

As I do a lot of professional work I typically run CentOS 6, plus I got tired of Fedora's flakiness every six months. Of course I don't expect Steam to be supported on CentOS although it is stable enough that perhaps it will benefit from Fedora development.

While I respect Ubuntu I personally cannot stand Debian-based distros. Perhaps this will give me a reason though to give Ubuntu another chance.

Either way this is very exciting news!

Edit: One can also dream that they someday produce a Gentoo port so we can compile it ourselves!

Decided to really make an effort to use Ubuntu as a normal desktop machine a week or two ago, choosing 12.04 as it's an LTS release, and coming from Win8 Consumer Preview it's just such a slow and unfriendly desktop OS. I will persevere and see if I can make it run half as smoothly as Win7 or Win8, but jeez I shudder to think how games would perform under these conditions.

Anyone know what they use to get Windows C/C++ apps running on Ubuntu? The C/C++ tool chains for graphical apps are extremely platform specific on Windows and Linux, so porting between them is extremely difficult (I've worked on such projects).

Also, I would expected that typical Ubuntu power users just stay on the latest release which is now 12.10.

By the way, it has been packaged for Arch Linux and runs fine whether or not you're in the private beta (you just open a steam:// link and it bypasses the "private" part of the beta ). There's nothing about that limits it to running on Ubuntu.

Anyone know what they use to get Windows C/C++ apps running on Ubuntu? The C/C++ tool chains for graphical apps are extremely platform specific on Windows and Linux, so porting between them is extremely difficult (I've worked on such projects).

Presumably they're either using Wine and running the windows executables directly, or they recompiled the games using winelib, or some combination of the two (the latter where possible, the former where not).

Viewer wrote:

Also, I would expected that typical Ubuntu power users just stay on the latest release which is now 12.10.

Depends on whether they actually want a working system or not. If you want to risk having a flaky system 2 out of every 6 months, by all means upgrade to the point releases. And by flaky, I mean little things like broken NVIDIA drivers, which prevent you from gaming at all.

Anyone know what they use to get Windows C/C++ apps running on Ubuntu? The C/C++ tool chains for graphical apps are extremely platform specific on Windows and Linux, so porting between them is extremely difficult (I've worked on such projects).

Like the article says, most of the games were already available on Linux (I have almost all of them from various Humble Indie Bundles). There were some articles a while ago about porting Valve games, and apparently it wasn't that difficult for them. They're already available on OS X, and I assume porting to the first extra platform is much harder than the second, especially since they're both Unix-like and use OpenGL.

I didn't get into the beta either despite 17years exp and using Ubuntu.

I'm actually a bit surprised that there were only 60000 applications. I don't have the exact numbers for the Humble Bundles handy, but according to Wikipedia, Humble Bundle 5 brought in $5.1 million, and it's been typically about 20% Linux, 20% Mac, and 60% Windows (% by $), with the average Linux user paying about $12. That would mean about $1020000 from Linux users, or about 85000 Linux buyers of a Humble Bundle. Steam beta being less than that seems surprisingly low.

Also, I would expected that typical Ubuntu power users just stay on the latest release which is now 12.10.

Depends on whether they actually want a working system or not. If you want to risk having a flaky system 2 out of every 6 months, by all means upgrade to the point releases. And by flaky, I mean little things like broken NVIDIA drivers, which prevent you from gaming at all.[/quote]

I was pleasantly surprised by how well the 12.10 update went. I waited a couple weeks because I'm not insane, but I haven't run into any issues at all since updating (and I use the proprietary Nvidia drivers). I don't use Unity, so I can't speak for that experience though.

I'm actually a bit surprised that there were only 60000 applications. I don't have the exact numbers for the Humble Bundles handy, but according to Wikipedia, Humble Bundle 5 brought in $5.1 million, and it's been typically about 20% Linux, 20% Mac, and 60% Windows (% by $), with the average Linux user paying about $12. That would mean about $1020000 from Linux users, or about 85000 Linux buyers of a Humble Bundle. Steam beta being less than that seems surprisingly low.

Beta vs. release, Ubuntu vs. Linux.

But yeah, gaming on Linux is on the rise. I hope it's a self-reinforcing trend, with more games giving GPU vendors incentive to improve drivers and bringing more gamers to Linux.

I'm actually a bit surprised that there were only 60000 applications. I don't have the exact numbers for the Humble Bundles handy, but according to Wikipedia, Humble Bundle 5 brought in $5.1 million, and it's been typically about 20% Linux, 20% Mac, and 60% Windows (% by $), with the average Linux user paying about $12. That would mean about $1020000 from Linux users, or about 85000 Linux buyers of a Humble Bundle. Steam beta being less than that seems surprisingly low.

-Kasoroth

Not everyone is cut out to be a beta tester, and not everyone is a fan of steam. So I think the numbers are actually quite high.

I'm actually a bit surprised that there were only 60000 applications. I don't have the exact numbers for the Humble Bundles handy, but according to Wikipedia, Humble Bundle 5 brought in $5.1 million, and it's been typically about 20% Linux, 20% Mac, and 60% Windows (% by $), with the average Linux user paying about $12. That would mean about $1020000 from Linux users, or about 85000 Linux buyers of a Humble Bundle. Steam beta being less than that seems surprisingly low.

-Kasoroth

Not everyone is cut out to be a beta tester, and not everyone is a fan of steam. So I think the numbers are actually quite high.

I could have applied for the beta if I had enough time. I have enough experience with Ubuntu to do some beta testing.

BUT, I prefer the real thing. There's no need to rush things up and ruin the experience.

So can we dream of HL3 coming first on linux ? (if it ever comes at all)

Valve's waiting for the next-gen consoles, that's my guess. What we know is that they're developing what they call Source 2. Since they have made graphical enhancements to the engine repeatedly without attaching a number it's reasonable to guess they're implementing something bigger, like compiling to both DirectX and OpenGL. This is reasonable because those two libraries cover all major gaming platforms. DX covers XBOX and Windows while OpenGL covers Windows, Mac, Linux, PlayStation and Wii.

My guess is that it will be a simultaneous release for all platforms bar the Wii in 2014.

I got the client working even though I'm not in the beta and it lists 23 games in my library, but there are 11 Linux games in the Steam Store that I don't have, so that's a total of 34 Linux games that I know of. I installed a few of mine and Cave Story+ doesn't work. When I try to launch it Steam tells me it can't find the executable. The game isn't listed as a Linux game in the Store but it is listed as such in the Library. I'm guessing the Store only lists games that have already been delivered to Linux while the Library lists all games for which the developers have comitted to providing Linux support or are in the process of enabling it even if they haven't delivered yet.

But that aside, working on Linux does require a little bit of syntax knowledge. An basic example to prove my point: The Dark souls patch which durante made only required to change 0 to 1 for activating. But see the comments in his blog... "How do I use this","Why isn't a GUI available","Where should I install this"...Most of us are used to clicking next, next, install & close.If something doesn't work in windows it's mainly DX error or some other re-distributable. Whereas in Linux[When using wine in particular], wherein to get some games work, different versions of drivers plus root "sudo ......" & other commands are required.

So can we dream of HL3 coming first on linux ? (if it ever comes at all)

If Valve was serious about Linux that would be the way to get gamers to seriously consider it. Make Half Life3 a Linux exclusive for a few months before porting it to other platforms. That and if Valve can also get some top tier partners to do the same, like Bethesda, I think that would really get it to take off.

exactly this, I guess the version option on the survey was to weed out non ubuntu users / gain stats for what platform was next on the list to be pushed to, personally I'm hoping they can show Mint some love

I wish they'd just release the binaries so I could install it myself on Arch. I don't foresee them ever releasing a native Arch Linux version of the platform, so unless they release binaries that aren't targeted for a particular distro, they're never going to get on more obscure Linux variants (not that Arch is obscure.)

It would make sense to release binaries sooner than later so non-natively supported distros could do testing earlier.

Maybe they want a more controlled test first where deployment issues are less likely to be the cause of problems.

What doesn't make sense is only sending invites to people on the OS they're targeting. It's Linux, I bet half of the people on different distros would install the supported one to test this out.

What doesn't make sense is only sending invites to people on the OS they're targeting. It's Linux, I bet half of the people on different distros would install the supported one to test this out.

Yes, but the other half would have flooded their support sites with 100 page manifestos about the evils of Ubuntu and why their particular distro is the one true Linux for the following technical and idealogical issues.

Presumably they're either using Wine and running the windows executables directly, or they recompiled the games using winelib, or some combination of the two (the latter where possible, the former where not).

Every single thing about this statement is wrong. I have no idea why you would even make this guess when Valve has been quite open about their porting process. They have updated their games to work natively under Linux.

The difference in C++ compilers no more difficult porting to Linux than it was when they ported to Mac.

I wish they'd just release the binaries so I could install it myself on Arch. I don't foresee them ever releasing a native Arch Linux version of the platform, so unless they release binaries that aren't targeted for a particular distro, they're never going to get on more obscure Linux variants (not that Arch is obscure.)

It would make sense to release binaries sooner than later so non-natively supported distros could do testing earlier.

Valve simply wants to reduce the overall number of variables in their beta testing. Releasing the binaries now opens the floodgates for additional support and they (likely) aren't prepared for that. By keeping it on just Ubuntu 12.04, they have an extremely solid base of consistent users, reporting, etc.

I probably should have clarified that I meant "unsupported binaries" for people who want to get it up and running without help from Valve.

By the way, it has been packaged for Arch Linux and runs fine whether or not you're in the private beta (you just open a steam:// link and it bypasses the "private" part of the beta ). There's nothing about that limits it to running on Ubuntu.

Awesome. I was worried that the beta download was only going to be available to beta testers, but apparently that wasn't the case (or people just leaked the .deb files). Going to have to try that when I get home.

What doesn't make sense is only sending invites to people on the OS they're targeting. It's Linux, I bet half of the people on different distros would install the supported one to test this out.

Yes, but the other half would have flooded their support sites with 100 page manifestos about the evils of Ubuntu and why their particular distro is the one true Linux for the following technical and idealogical issues.

I'm sure there'd be a few Richard Stallman's in the group, but I think you way over-estimate how many would be like that. Valve porting Steam to Linux is a big deal, and the majority of Linux users, regardless of distro, realize that. They're very open and eager about making this all work. They know that when something is awesome in one distro, it eventually finds its way over to another distro. That's why regardless of flavor, there's a package management system for it. Good ideas have a way of spreading.

Most folks using Linux are tech-minded, and they know the last thing Valve needs right now is to spread themselves thin over a bunch of different distros. They focused on 1 distro in order to isolate the variables, and reduce the signal/noise ratio.

So can we dream of HL3 coming first on linux ? (if it ever comes at all)

If Valve was serious about Linux that would be the way to get gamers to seriously consider it. Make Half Life3 a Linux exclusive for a few months before porting it to other platforms. That and if Valve can also get some top tier partners to do the same, like Bethesda, I think that would really get it to take off.

I didn't get into the beta either despite 17years exp and using Ubuntu.

This is only a small proportion to, since they only let people in if they were running one (non-LTS) version of one Ubuntu distro. You'll probably see quite a big jump once they start looking at Mint, or even just earlier versions of Ubuntu